Ballon d'Or's Narrow Vision: Does it Truly Crown Football's Greatest?

The Ballon d'Or, football's most prestigious individual accolade, recently saw Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane become the first Englishman to claim the award since Michael Owen in 2001. This landmark victory, however, reignites a crucial debate: how can individual brilliance be accurately measured in a sport inherently defined by teamwork?

For the better part of two decades, this question was largely overshadowed by the monumental rivalry between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Between 2008 and 2017, they dominated the Ballon d'Or, with one of them winning every year. Messi amassed a record eight awards, while Ronaldo secured five, collectively accounting for 13 of the 17 trophies awarded from 2008 to 2025. Their intense competition generated immense excitement for an award that dates back to 1956, when England's Sir Stanley Matthews was its first recipient.

However, their dominance also pushed critical inquiries to the periphery. Has the increasing commercialisation of the Ballon d'Or diluted its original purpose? Why does the award disproportionately favour attacking players? And why does an award that claims global recognition remain so heavily skewed towards European football?

The commercialisation of the Ballon d'Or mirrors football's evolution into a global entertainment industry, where individual players are cultivated as brands. "The whole dynamic of the Ballon d'Or has changed because the dynamic of the sports and entertainment industry has changed with the way individual athletes are marketed," noted Steve Martin, founding partner of MSQ Sport + Entertainment. He added, "They’ve found a way as an individual athlete or player to build their own profile and their own fanbase, as opposed to relying on their clubs. They control their own destiny, and they market themselves."

Former Switzerland defender Ramon Vega expressed a more critical view: "The commercialisation and monetisation of this award is not taking it in the right direction." While the Ballon d'Or has certainly become a grander spectacle, the surrounding fanfare should not obscure the fundamental question of what constitutes individual excellence. Commercialisation is not the sole issue; the award has a long-standing bias towards attacking players.

The contributions of goalkeepers and defenders are as vital as those of midfielders and strikers in a sport where team success is paramount. Yet, Russia's Lev Yashin remains the only goalkeeper to have won the award (1963), and Italy's Fabio Cannavaro was the last defender to receive it in 2006, after captaining Italy to World Cup glory. Germany's Franz Beckenbauer and Matthias Sammer are among the few other defenders to have been honoured.

Cannavaro himself stated, "Goalkeepers and defenders are also part of the spectacle. Attackers don’t just play amongst themselves. If a goalkeeper has saved 15 or so matches in a year, it’s only fair to highlight him." Despite such sentiments, the ingrained bias among voters persists, with attackers and midfielders in European club and national competitions remaining the benchmark for global excellence.

This European focus highlights another persistent weakness: the award's failure to adequately recognise outstanding players from beyond the continent. For almost four decades after its inception, only European players were eligible, a significant oversight for exceptional talents from other continents, even those playing in Europe's top leagues. The late Diego Maradona is a prime example of a player disadvantaged by this restriction.

The eligibility criteria were finally broadened in 1995 to include players of any nationality playing for European clubs. It took another twelve years, until 2007, for the award to encompass players competing anywhere in the world. While an argument could be made that early selectors lacked comprehensive knowledge of the global game, this is no longer a valid excuse given the exponential growth in understanding the international football landscape.

When Liberia's George Weah became the first non-European winner in 1995, following stellar performances for Paris Saint-Germain and AC Milan, his triumph was anticipated to pave the way for greater recognition of players from long-neglected regions. However, 31 years later, the former Liberian president remains the sole winner from outside Europe and South America. "When I started playing football, I never thought I would ever win the Ballon d’Or and emerge as the best player in the world. I just had a passion for the game and I worked hard. Every day. I would rather train than eat or sleep," Weah shared. "I am surprised that no other African player has won the award since I did so. I think there have been others that deserve to win. But it is down to those who select the winners."

Cameroon's Samuel Eto'o, a former Barcelona and Inter Milan striker and now president of his country's football federation, is another prominent figure who arguably deserved the award. Jose Mourinho, who managed Eto'o at Inter, remarked in a 2019 interview, "It’s difficult to understand how Samuel Eto'o never won the Ballon d’Or with the impressive career he had. He played in three Champions League finals, winning two with Barcelona and scoring in both finals. He also won one Champions League at Inter and won many league titles. He was the best striker in the world for several years, and I think he deserved a Ballon d’Or, but these are things out of our control."

Eto'o's omission, and Weah's continued status as the only African laureate, underscore the challenges in how award selectors and voters evaluate achievements of players from outside football's traditional power centres in Europe and South America. Although the Ballon d'Or employs an international voting panel of journalists from 100 countries, geographical diversity among voters does not automatically guarantee equitable recognition of global talent.

France Football, the award's organiser, must ensure that the selection process for nominees and winners reflects a truly global understanding of the sport, honouring exceptional players irrespective of their nationality or the leagues they play in. Furthermore, the award needs to address its other inherent flaws. Football is a collective endeavour, and individual accolades should mirror the contributions of all players – goalkeepers, defenders, midfielders, and strikers. The increasing commercial appeal of the Ballon d'Or should not detract from the footballing excellence it was instituted to celebrate. Ultimately, the Ballon d'Or should serve as a tribute to individual brilliance across all positions and continents, rather than an award dominated by Europe's elite competitions and biggest stars. Only then can it authentically claim to identify the world's best footballer.